#like she’s so FURIOUS in this episode it’s boiling she’s manipulating and calculating but she says that and it’s so SAD

[slashermary]

shiv saying “i got mommed” is maybe the most harrowing thing bc that’s the nightmare,it’s her greatest fear! it is just the entire summation of everything she didn’t want to be, didn’t want to happen, what she constructed her entire personality in rebellion against. all this time trying to be respected by having a career on the opposite political spectrum, calculating to be seen as an equal player in her dad’s eyes, marrying a man she knew she could overpower and out maneuver, and trying as hard as she could never to be seen as vulnerable or disposable and it still happened! the same thing happened to her that happened to all the women in her father’s life he got tired of or who put up too much of a fight. she got mommed.

[sulietsexual]

Angel the Series - Reunion and Origin? And SPN - Houses of the Holy and Fresh Blood?

Nonnie, I gotta be honest with you, Houses of the Holy andFresh Blood are episodes I tend to skip when re-watching, as I find bothepisodes a bit dull. Honestly, I can barely even remember what happens ineither, only that the first has some preacher who believes he’s an angel andthe latter has Gordon turned into a vampire (which was a nice bit of poeticjustice). But I don’t really have a strong opinion on either. However, I’vewritten you some nice, long meta on both AtS episodes, so hopefully that makesup for my lack of opinion on the SPN eps.

Reunion

Shortopinion: Angel’s been a baaaad boy.

Longopinion: Who doesn’t love Reunion? It’s such agreat episode, narratively and thematically, bringing the Darla storyline tothe boiling point and showcasing just how far W&H have pushed Angel. Thisepisode marks Angel’s start of darkness and underlines what I’ve always stated– that Angel himself has capacity for great and deep darkness and that is why Angelus is so sadistic,because Angelus is Angel without the control of a soul.

The opening scene of this episode has Angel near breakingpoint, babbling and incoherent, horrified at the events he had just been forcedto witness and desperate to save Darla. I’ve written previously about theeffect Darla’s return has on Angel, the emotional marathon he goes throughbecause of it, and the way human Darla completely messes with his state ofmind. Which, of course, was always the point. W&H always planned to have Darla turned into a vampire, not only tofurther torment Angel but to push him into going Dark Side. The original planwas for him to turn her, but whenthat fell through, they had her turned infront of him (make no mistake, that was deliberate, an extra touch oftorture, forcing Angel to watch Drusilla drain Darla while he could do nothingto stop it). And it works, Angel almost loses his mind in the aftermath, sotormented by failing Darla that he is determined to kill her before she canrise again as a monster.

However, he’s tripped up by the fact that he no longer sees Darla as a monster. His experienceswith her as a human have left him unable to distinguish between Darla with asoul and Darla as a vampire, which is why he hesitates when he has the chanceto stake her. Things are no longer black and white, Darla has become someonereal to him, someone whom he cares about. The torture she and W&H put himthrough has left him confused and torn between his feelings for her and theknowledge that she is too dangerous to be allowed to live as a vampire.

Darla, meanwhile, is in a state of utter confusion andhelplessness at first, having risen for a second time and with the memory ofbeing human so new and fresh. Due to the fact that as a human she had actuallyaccepted her death and let go of her desire to be turned, she is at first furious at finding herself a vampireonce more, taking her frustration and rage out on Drusilla, who is now hersire. Her tormented cry of “Why?!”really resonates, showcasing just how conflicted she is regarding her siring.Drusilla’s tearful reply of “It’s what you wanted” seems to bring Darla back toearth, and the demon’s nature takes over, allowing her to feed off a nearbyhuman and prompting Drusilla’s delighted “You’re all new again!”. However, asthe next episode shows, the confliction Darla feels due to being so recentlyhuman has not entirely been resolved and is a driving factor in a lot of heractions for the remainder of the season.

The climax of this episode has Angel crossing a line which hethen has a hard time coming back from, but it’s hard to blame Angel for his actions,as they are a direct result of the torment W&H have put him through in thepreceding months. I actually think that in-Universe Angel is treated tooharshly regarding his actions over the latter half of the season, as W&Hhave basically been torturing him through Darla for the entire first half ofthe season, and he pretty much reaches his breaking point. Closing the lawyersin with Darla and Drusilla was a result of that torture, and pretty much gavethe W&H team exactly what they deserved.

Now, firing Wes, Gunn and Cordy was a pretty shitty move but,once again, there is a deeper reason going on. I’ve spoken about this in anearlier meta. Angel knows that he needs to kill Darla and normally this wouldnot be an issues (we see him kill her with ease in BtVS Season 1, when Buffy’slife was in danger). However, Darla is no longer just a soulless monster. He has known her as human now. He hascared for her, loved her, offered to die for her. He has connected with her ona level he never expected to and so, in order to kill her, he needs to becomedark. He needs to cut himself off from his own emotions, become cold andcalculated and access the Angelus part of his personality. And he cannot do that while Cordy, Wes and Gunnare around because they are his link to humanity. They are who keep him feelinghuman, able to suppress and control Angelus, able to function in the humanworld and feel and experience emotions such as love, compassion and empathy. Heneeded to get rid of them to become dark enough, to become cut off enough tonot only kill Darla but take down Wolfram & Hart. And while that sucks for Cordy, Wes and Gunn, it was anecessary step Angel needed to take.

All up, this is an amazing episode, opening up new threadswhile tying together old ones. The return of Vamp!Darla is awesome and watchingher and Drusilla get up to all sorts of evil hi-jinks is always fun, if a littlemacabre. Angel gets some great characterisation and the start of a new, albeitdarker path. It’s easy to see why this episode makes IMDB Top 10 highest ratedepisodes of AtS.

Origin

Shortopinion: Cries forever because Connor and Angel.

Longopinion: This episode – like all Connor/Angelepisodes – kills me, but this one especially so because we actually get to seeConnor and Angel interact without animosity or hatred or resentment and Connor doesn’t remember who Angel is.Excuse me, I have to go cry for twenty years, because this relationship turnsme into a blubbering mess every time I talk about it. But seriously, this is agreat episode, which once again showcases what a victim of his circumstancesConnor was and how he would haveturned out fine, had Holtz not stolen him as an infant.

Angel’s interactions with Connor in this episode are funny,sweet and absolutely heartbreaking, as he struggles to maintain a neutral frontwith Connor and not let anything suspicious slip. The helplessness on his facewhen he first sees Connor at Wolfram & Hart is heartbreaking, as he looks so shaken and devastated. Angel neverexpected to see his son again, so when Connor shows up on his doorstep, hisfirst impulse is to turn him away, to make sure that Connor stays as far awayfrom his world as possible. He gave up Connor to protect him and has everyintention of making sure that sacrifice wasn’t for nothing.

Of course there are bigger forces at play here, and Angel isforced to allow Connor back into his world, first saving him from the demonswho attacked him and his family and then bringing him back to W&H to train.Angel tries his best not to get emotionally involved but as this is his son, he inevitably ends up gettingcaught up in interacting with Connor. It’s so cute to watch the two actuallytalk freely and without animosity and it’s especiallyendearing how impressive Connor finds Angel, admiring his fighting movesand eagerly asking him what it’s like to be a vampire. Angel, in turn, justlights up around his son, obviously thrilled at spending time with him, butheartbreakingly reminded time and again that Connor is no longer his, such aswhen he first saves Connor’s family from Veil’s demons and Connorenthusiastically remarks on Angel’s moves, before rushing to his father,exclaiming “Dad!”. The look of sorrow on Angel’s face is almost too much totake.

Through this episode and Connor’s well-adjusted persona, theaudience gets to see a different Connor, a Connor without trauma, without pain,a Connor who was never taken through a portal, who didn’t hold his dying fatherin his arms, who wasn’t manipulated by Holtz or Faux!Cordy, who was never rapedor tormented, who didn’t live the life which was originally his. And he is agreat kid. He’s smart and funny and has a good head on his shoulders. He’s alsofair and stands up for his family. He tells Angel that he’s not a bully andwants a fair fight, but is also smart enough to know that he needs help. Hisinitial interactions with Sahjhan are hilarious,especially his polite “There’s some weapons here, if you want” line, completewith considerate gesture. Of course, once the memory cube gets broken we havethat glorious shot of the old Connor,rising to meet his opponent, blood on his face and the classic Connor sneer onhis face.

Of course I can’t talk about the cube being broken withouttaking time out from my Angel/Connor heartbreak to rage about Wes and his ridiculously selfish and self-indulgentattitude in regards to Fred’s death. This episode underlines, once again, howobsessive, selfish and gross Wesley is when it comes to his feelings for Fred,even after her death. He doesn’t give a shitabout Angel’s warnings, doesn’t even contemplate that Angel might have hadreasons for signing a contract with W&H, no, he just assumes the worst of aman (vampire) whom he has trusted and respected for years and decides that Angeltraded Fred’s life for his son’s (like, honestly, why the fuck would he assume that?!) and smashes the cube with noregards to what it will do to anyone, only caring about his own grief and pain.

You know, I don’t think there’s a character out there who Ilove and hate in equal measure as much as Wesley. Give me Season 1 Wes, awkwardand mildly sexist but who tries and fumbles and falls and is always striving tobe his best self, or Season 2 Wes, slowly settling into his role within AngelInvestigations, growing in confidence, able to take the reins when he, Gunn andCordy break away from Angel. But don’t give me Seasons 4 or 5 Wes, arrogant andmisogynistic, selfish in his grief, screwing everyone over because he can,treating women like shit and believing he’s right in doing so. God I hate laterseasons Wes. But I digress.

The real emotional crux of this episode comes in the finalfew minutes, with Connor visiting Angel to say goodbye. Those final two lines “Yougotta do what you can to protect your family. I learned that from my father” absolutely kill me, because theytell the audience that not only has Connor regained his memories, he understands why Angel chose to remove themin the first place. That final line is so powerful and it gives Angel hope,hope that one day he might be able to know his son, to be a part of his life. Itwas the most beautiful and fitting way to end the episode, finishing on abittersweet note and giving hope to Angel and the audience.

Now excuse me, I have to go cry forever *ugly sobbing because Angel loves his son more than anything in theworld*